Treatment
Technological and professional support
If parents suspect that their child has a hearing loss, they should consult a pediatrician, an Ear-Nose & Throat specialist or a pediatric audiologist immediately. Hearing loss can be treated in various ways depending on the type and severity of the impairment - with various hearing solutions. The following technological aids and competence centers you might find useful.
TECHNOLOGICAL AIDS
- In many cases, hearing aids designed especially for children with a diagnosed hearing loss offer significant benefit. The correct hearing aid must be chosen individually for each child and will depend on various factors such as the degree of hearing loss and the needs of the child. Hearing aids are fitted individually by a pediatric audiologist.
- Wireless radio systems, known as personal wireless microphone systems, can also be used to supplement hearing aids. The system includes a microphone worn by the child’s parent or teacher and a receiver fitted onto the child’s hearing aid. This system enables the child to clearly understand speech even over further distances or in situations with loud background noise.
- Soundfield Systems offer another solution for improvement in a classroom. To help with background noise, it amplifies the teachers voice through a speaker to improve classroom acoustics. For those students wearing personal wireless microphone systems, the microphone of these systems can also be linked for them to hear.
- If a hearing aid does not offer sufficient help, a cochlear implant (CI) may be an effective choice. Generally speaking, children who are one year old and older with the auditory nerve intact may be candidates for this surgical implant device.
Audiologist / Pediatric audiologist
A specialist who deals with all aspects of auditory perception (audiology, i.e. the science of hearing). An audiologist provides services connected with the prevention, assessment and rehabilitation of hearing loss and related communication problems. Pediatric audiologists are specially trained in in selecting and fitting hearing instruments to infants and children.
» Specialist advice in your area
ENT specialist
A physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating ear, nose and throat complaints. Normally it is the ENT specialist who diagnoses a hearing loss. ENT means “Ear-Nose-Throat” specialist. Your family physician will provide you with information about this.
Useful links
Here are some useful links for parents seeking more information or support:
USA
www.handsandvoices.org
www.heartsforhearing.org
www.childrenshearing.org
www.ndcs.org.uk
UK
www.avuk.org
www.earfoundation.org.uk
www.elizabeth-foundation.org
www.chears.co.uk
www.ndcs.org.uk
www.fcdc.org.uk
More information
HearingLikeMe
HearingLikeMe is a community for those who have been touched by hearing loss.
» Visit the website
Pediatric hearing tests
www.phonak.com/com/b2c/en/hearing/awareness/pediatric_hearing_tests.html